HPE has received offers for the software unit of as much as $7.5 billion in a sale process managed by investment bank Goldman Sachs Group Inc, Reuters reported. The leak may suggest that HPE is seeking to hammer out a deal over the three-day holiday weekend, and perhaps announce a formalized agreement by Tuesday, Sept. 6, sources tell ChannelE2E.

HPE Software: Big Acquisitions, Little ROI

While HPE’s overall business has improved dramatically, the software unit has been an under-performer. HPE has spent heavily over the years to get into the software market, including such acquisitions as:

Autonomy, which HPE acquired for $10.3 billion in 2011 — though HP ultimately wrote down nearly $9 billion associated with the deal.

Mercury, which the company acquired for $4.5 billion in 2006.

Vertica, which the company acquired for $350 million in 2011.

Still, the software group has struggled to grow amid the shift from traditional software licenses toward cloud- and SaaS-based subscription services.